Arizona - here we come!

[kamadeca]

Planning a short (1 week) fly and drive to Arizona on January 4th.

We plan on spending a few days in the Phoenix area and then move on to Tucson. The idea is to scout out RV parks that we may want to stay at next year for the winter, given that I will finally be retired by then. We are all set in Phoenix, but does anyone have a recommendation for a good hotel in Tucson? Doesn't need to be 5 star, but clean and safe.

Also, any recommendations for RV parks would be most welcome as well. There seems to be a plethora of them in Arizona - where does one start.

Thanks in advance as always to this great group.

Malcolm & Randy

[Alumaholic]

Hi Malcom and Randy,
We wintered in Mesa, AZ last year at the Apache Wells RV Resort, and liked it well enough to return to the same site this winter.
It's an over 55 park and full of Canadians, so'll you'll have lots of neighbors who speak your language.
One must reserve by April or May of 2013 to have a site next winter.
Sue and I like it because it is immaculately maintained and one of the smaller CalAm RV resorts. It is located on the north city limits of Mesa with splendid views and easy access to hiking trails in the Tonto National Forest.
The RV Resort itself has a heated pool that allows us to swim every day,
Main drawback is that like most RV resorts in the Phoenix area, the sites are close together.
Here's the link: Cal-Am Resorts -

[Phoenix]

When not traveling with our Bambi, we often stay at Choice Hotels; because they offer good value and most properties are well maintained. Clarion and Comfort Inns and Suites are the higher-end properties in that chain. Tucson has several Choice properties in the sub-$100 range that are clean and modern. In fact, I found one Clarion Hotel room (double occupancy) for about $60, including hotel taxes. However, if price is no concern, Tucson has numerous high-end resorts that really pamper guests.

You may wish to check TripAdvisor.com for ratings before making reservations. See links, below:

Hotel Rooms and Reservations - Choice Hotels - Motels

Reviews of Hotels, Flights and Vacation Rentals - TripAdvisor


We have only stayed at one RV Park in Tucson, but we really like it. We stay there a couple of times a year while visiting friends in the area. It used to be Beaudry's RV Resort, but it is now owned by LazyDays. Seasonal rates are high in the winter and low in the summer. See details in link, below:

Relax and Recharge at Lazydays RV Campground

[mstephens]

In Tucson last week we stayed at Rincon East RV Park. It was very nice in all respects.

[blmitch5]

That sounds fun! TBRitch lives near Tucson and if you PM him I'm sure he can give you some recommendations. Zell and I went down last year but we used hotel points for the trip and it hit 100 on one of the days we were there
Congrats on the retirement!

[handn]

Try Catalina State Park in Oro Valley North of Tucson and McDowell Mountain Park near Fountain Hills in the Phoenix suburbs. Big sites in public lands with lots of open space for hiking, biking, birding, ect. Stays are limited to two weeks. Both parks are very popular and reservations must be made ahead of time on line.